Improved blasting-plug



C. MON SON. Blasting-Plug.

No. 50,263.- Patented Oct. 1865.

N. PETERS, FHOTO L|THOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES MON SON, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVED BLASTlNG-PLUG.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,263, dated October3,1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES MoNsoN, of New Haven, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and ImprovedBlasting-Plug; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of referencemarked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent in- Figure 1, a side view; Fig. 2, a top view; Figs. 3 and 4,the plug as inserted for use; and in Fig. 5 a different construction.

My invention is designed to avoid'tamping and deep-drilling for blastingin ledges, 850.

When the rock is very solid it is necessary to drill deep, in order thatthe packing above the powder may be sufficient to resist the force ofthe powder, so that it may be spent upon the rock laterally instead ofupward and out ward, for if the hole is not drilled sufficiently deepthe packing will be blown therefrom with little or no effect upon therock.

My invention avoids the necessity of deepdrilling and insures thefulleffect of the powder upon the rock; and my invention consists in theemployment of a metal plug hinged to a metal bar, the plug inserted inthe hole above the powder and the end of the bar secured to the face ofthe rock, so that the plug cannot be thrown from the hole, whereby theentire force of the powder is expended laterally upon the rock to a muchgreater extent, and so as to displace a greater portion of the rock thanthe same or a much greater quantity of powder could do were the packingnot held upon the powder with the firmness of the rock itself at thepoint where the bar B is secured.

To enable others to construct and use my improved blasting-plug, I willproceed to fully describe the same as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

A is the plug, formed of iron or steel and of the same diameter of thehole drilled in the rock, its upper end terminating so as to form ahinge with the bar B, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, secured together by apivot, to, or an equivalent device. The bar B should also be of iron,

steel, or suitable metal, and of such form and proportions as towithstand the force of the blast, its extreme end terminating in anycon- .venient form for securing it to the surface of the rock, as inFigs. 3 and 4, the hinge allowing an adjustment of the bar to anyconvenient angle to the plug.

Drill the rock in the usual manner, but only to such depth as isnecessary for the blast to effect the rock; place the requisite quantityof powder in the hole thus made, inserting the fuse into the hole in theusual manner; place a wad above the powder or not, as may be deemedexpedient, then insert the plug a above the powder, as seen in Figs. 3and 4. A groove, 0, is formed in the plug, as seen in Fig. 2, to allowit to pass the fuse. When thus inserted and resting solidly upon thecharge secure the end of the bar B to the surface of the rock, as seenin Figs. 4 and 5, which secures the plug in the hole with the firmnessof the rock it self then ignite the fuse in the usual manner to explodethe powder, which explosion, as it cannot throw the plug from the hole,will exert its force much more effectually and laterally to a greaterextent upon the surrounding rock than it could do by the same quantityof powder placed deeper in the rock and tamped in the usual manner.

In securing the bar to the face of the rock care should be taken toplace the plug and bar at such angles relatively to each other that theplug cannot be thrown from the hole without some displacement of thesurrounding rock.

If preferred, and in many places no doubt it would be advisable, to usetwo bars, instead of one, as seen in Fig. 5, this would give, no doubt,a greater effective force to the charge; yet but one bar is necessary toaccomplish the object of my invention.

I have described my invention as for the purpose of blasting rocks, yetit is equally ap plicable to blasting in other places and substances.

I am aware that iron plugs have been placed above the powder for thepurpose of increasing the adtion of the blast, but when so used havebeen held by weights or by a head on the rod above and below the powder,or otherwise than by a jointed bar and plug, in all cases but partiallyaccomplishing the object.

I do not therefore broadly claim the use of an iron plug for blastingpurposes; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the plug A and bar or bars B, constructed and unitedtogether by a joint or its equivalent, sbstantially as and so as tooperate in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

GHARLES MONSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN E. EARLE, MARY A. HINE.

